How to Get a Scratch Off of a Citizen Watch Crystal

By Beth Rifkin

Having a scratch on the crystal of your Citizen watch can make it difficult to see the time while also impairing the appearance. Though deep scratches are difficult to eliminate and require the assistance of a skilled jeweler or watchmaker, you can remove small or shallow scratches by yourself. All that's required are a few materials and about a half an hour of your time.

Maintain your Citizen watch to keep it lasting for years.

Step 1

Place a hard-felt buff wheel on your buffer and turn it on.

Step 2

Hold jeweler's polishing rouge against the spinning buff head so that the buffer becomes coated with the polish. Polishing rouge is available in stick form for easy application and available at stores that sell jewelry materials.

Step 3

Protect the edges of the watch face and the watchband with masking tape. Small pieces wrapped around the band will do the trick.

Step 4

Place the crystal against the spinning buff head. Use medium pressure. Pause the buffing every 20 seconds or so to make sure that the process is working and not deepening the scratch. Continue until the scratch is completely gone.